The present invention concerns in general the illumination of a floor surface to be cleaned with a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly concerns providing a vacuum cleaner with an improved built-in illumination means generally in the nature of a light plate.
In general, it is well known to associate a lamp or similar illumination means with a vacuum cleaner for illuminating a floor surface to be cleaned. Various schemes and constructions have been practiced for incorporating a lamp into a chassis of the vacuum cleaner.
For example, with some vacuum cleaners a lens is inserted into a void or gap formed in the chassis cover, with a lamp situated within such chassis behind the lens. U.S. Pat. No. 2,274,971 (issued May, 1942 to White) discloses a vacuum cleaner generally of such type, having a contoured quartz lens received in a passageway through the chassis cover so that light from a lamp provided at one end of the lens is directed by the curvature thereof onto a floor surface to be cleaned. In one White embodiment, light is provided in such general manner with a single, relatively narrow width quartz lens centrally located on the chassis. In another White embodiment, a pair of such respective passageway-lens-lamp combinations are provided in spaced relationship on a chassis for a dual, "headlight" lighting scheme.
In some other vacuum cleaners, a light or lamp is provided within a vacuum cleaner chassis, and situated so as to shine directly through a lens which stands up vertically on the chassis. U.S. Pat. No. 2,475,400 (issued July, 1949 to Osborn) is generally an example of such construction, and includes a chassis hood suitably molded to form a lens or light transmitting window integrally therein. The Osborn hood also further "pipes" light from a lamp behind such lens portion and diverted therefrom to an embossed indicia portion of the hood having edge surfaces which are illuminated by such diverted light.
In general, such prior vacuum cleaners have various inadequacies with respect to illumination of the floor surface to be cleaned (particularly relatively close up to a forward edge of the vacuum cleaner chassis), and/or otherwise with respect to the construction thereof (particularly relating to placement or maintenance of various operative elements within the cleaner chassis).